The Pro’s And Con’s Of Co-Ed Treatment

Fellowship is a beautiful and essential part of recovery. Many people find that they have never experienced a true connection with other people the way they do when they meet others in treatment. Living with addiction and other mental health disorders is a unique experience which can only truly be understood by others who are living with the same. Additionally, the experience of going to “rehab” or residential treatment is especially unique. People who experience treatment together go through transformational changes, supporting each other and witnessing one another’s journey along the way. Sadly, in treatment, many people who come in together will not stay together. Relapse is a high risk during the first few months of recovery. Since relapse is so vulnerable, it is important to take critical steps towards advocating against it. For this reason, many people argue for as well as against co-ed treatment.

Few residential treatment centers bunk men and women together. In hospital settings, men and women might have different corridors, or areas of the treatment facility. Still, they are not in completely separate housing. They will have group therapies and activities together all day, share meals, and be in common areas during down time together. During time in these settings, men and women are constantly interacting. Eventually, addicts and alcoholics in recovery will have to intermingle with members of the opposite sex and learn to do so in a healthy way. Treatment is an opportunity to teach those in recovery how to have respectful boundaries, utilize healthy tools for communication, and create balanced relationships. However, there can be complications, namely hormones and neurotransmitters like dopamine. The first few weeks of recovery are still influenced by the presence of drugs and alcohol in the brain and body. Even after detox, the brain is still fresh off the last time drugs and alcohol were present. Meaning that cravings, a need for producing dopamine (pleasure) and trying to balance hormones all create a complication. Without high amounts of supervision and organization, it is easy for co-ed clients in a treatment center to engage in romantic relations. Often referred to as a “rehab romance” delusional trains of thought, high hormones, and an incessant need for feeling pleasure can create a volatile situation between two clients.

Harmony Place offers co-ed therapeutic treatment but maintains separate housing for men and women. Our programs are small scale and focus on the individual needs of each client. Customized treatment programs along a continuum of care is how we encourage lifelong recovery. For a private consultation and more information on our programs, call 1-855-627-1417.